Adding a Subtle Vignette

This is one of those finishing moves you do after everything else. It darkens the outside edges all the way around your entire image, which helps to focus the viewer’s attention toward your subject and away from the edges. It’s going to seem like a really subtle effect (especially with the low amount I use, and I always pretty much use the same amount), but once you toggle the effect on/off, you’ll see it really does make a difference. Here’s how to apply this edge darkening vignette:

In Lightroom: In the Develop module, scroll down to the Effects panel in the right side Panels area. Then, in the Post-Crop Vignetting section, drag the Amount slider over to the left to –11 (as seen above). That’s all there is to it. To toggle the effect on/off, so you can see the difference this little change makes, click on the little switch in the top left of the panel header.

In Photoshop: Open the image in Camera Raw (or go under the Filter menu and choose Camera Raw Filter), and then click on the Effects icon (it’s the third icon from the right) at the top of the Panel area. In the Post Crop Vignetting section, drag the Amount slider over to the left to –11. That’s all there is to it. To toggle the effect on/off, so you can see the difference this little change makes, click on the icon that looks like three little sliders below the bottom-right corner of your image.